English: Looking west down Memorial Drive at the Hemicycle, the ceremonial gate to Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, in the United States in 1993. On the hill above is Arlington House, the Robert E. Lee National Memorial. The cemetery visitors center can be seen center-left.

Arlington Estate was created in 1778 when John Parke Custis purchased a tract of forested land on the Potomac River north of the town of Alexandria, Virginia. Arlington House began construction in 1802, and the wings were finished in 1804. The center portion of the mansion began construction in 1815 and was finished a year later. Arlington National Cemetery was carved out of the Arlington Estate by the U.S. Army in 1864. The Hemicycle and Memorial Drive began construction in 1924 as part of the Arlington Memorial Bridge project, and were finished in 1932. The Hemicycle was turned into the Women in Military Service for America Memorial in 1995, and dedicated in 1997. The Visitors Center opened in 1971.